West Palm Beach police say arrest made after man shot at officer

Thursday

A West Palm Beach Assistant Police Chief said the man fired at officers and was chased on foot.

A man who allegedly fired shots at police officers Thursday afternoon was taken into custody after about a three-hour-long search along a waterfront West Palm Beach neighborhood.

Police confirmed shortly before 5 p.m. that a man wanted in connection to the shooting was in custody. Two officers who returned fire will be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, West Palm Beach Assistant Police Chief Tony Spatara said.

There were no injuries.

According to police, the situation began shortly before 1:30 p.m. in the 400 block of 48th Street, just east of St. Mary's Medical Center, as officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area. Police said a gunshot was detected by the city's new ShotSpotter system, a sensor-based system that is part of the department's technologically-based plan to tackle crime.

When the officers responded to the area, they encountered a man who was armed with a gun, Spatara said. The man fired shots at the officers, who then returned fire, he said.

Spatara did not say how many shots were fired by officers, citing the open investigation.

After shots were fired, the gunman fled as officers chased him on foot. When police lost sight of the man, they set up a perimeter, conducted a search and eventually caught the suspect, Spatara said. Police did not disclose the man's identity Thursday night. Police initially described the suspect as a black man between 30 and 40 years old, wearing a black hat, blue shirt and blue jeans.

The situation prompted police to place nearby Northboro and Northmore elementary school on lockdown. School district officials later said that bus and car pickups were completed as students were escorted to parents in a designated area. During the search, police asked residents between 47th and 50th streets and between Flagler Drive and Broadway to remain in their homes.